POLICE BEAT

Gun-toting man captured after Wiscasset woods chase

WISCASSET, Maine — A Soule Lane man who led police on an armed woodland chase late Saturday now faces charges of domestic assault and creating a police standoff.

According to a Wiscasset Police Department press release, 28-year-old Michael Burns had absconded into the woods with a shotgun at approximately 11 p.m., when police arrived at the scene.

Shortly after, officers heard a single gunshot from the woods. Police Chief Troy Cline said the responding officers were interviewing witnesses at that time and were not near Burns when the shot went off.

Officers from the Damariscotta Police Department, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Department, Maine State Police and Maine Warden Service responded to the “shots fired” call.

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After a nearly three-hour standoff, Cline said officers from the State Police Tactical Team apprehended Burns without incident at 1:50 a.m. Sunday. They found a loaded shotgun on the ground nearby.

Burns, who has a previous felony conviction, was taken into custody without incident, according to the press release, and now faces charges of domestic assault, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and creating a police standoff.

Burns was taken to Two Bridges Regional Jail, where he remained this morning in lieu of $8,000 bail.